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How old do you have to be start kyudo?

The short answer is that it varies widely, but here are some of the issues to consider when a child wants to study kyudo.

Attention Span

Kyudo is a very slow, meditative art. Performing it takes a LOT of attention to detail and there is little obvious ‘action’ to engage an audience or participant. There is a LOT of repetition of the same actions over and over again to practice it.

As such, it’s necessary for the individual to have a good solid attention span for learning kyudo. While that specifically does not exclude children from studying kyudo, it does limit it to those with greater-than-average-for-their-age attention span.

Size

There is some variation in the sizing of the equipment, but not much. As a club, we are not able to provide loaner equipment in all possible sizes, so we try to provide for the most common adult sizes available. Smaller children will not be able to shoot a bow until they are large enough to use the equipment we can provide.

Physical Capability

Adolescents are changing rapidly and that often makes them awkward in using their limbs. Kyudo requires a lot of control over the arms and upper body, and that is often difficult for teens who are in the midst of one the biggest growth spurts of their lives.

In the end…

All of that being said, if you think that your child would be able to stick with it long enough and still enjoy the activity, we’re willing to give it a go. We require that children under the age of 15 also have a parent attend the full practice time, although the parent does not need to register unless he/she intends to practice along with us.

If you have questions or concerns, you are always welcome to contact us! We also allow observers at any of our practices as long as you contact us in advance of attending.